Harnessing Chain Mobility via Protonation for Tough and Isotropic Hydrogel

Shi, Pengju; Si, Muqing; Lin, Zishang; Mao, Qian; Duan, Sidi; Liu, Zixiao; Hong, Wen; Possinger, Mason; Yan, Yichen; Chen, Chi Hong B.; He, Ping; Zuo, Xiaobing; Zhou, Hua; Duin, Adri C. T. van; He, Ximin

doi:10.1002/adma.202517407

articleAdvanced MaterialsFeb 18, 2026HYBRID OA

Harnessing Chain Mobility via Protonation for Tough and Isotropic Hydrogel

PSPengju Shi MSMuqing Si ZLZishang Lin QMQian Mao SDSidi Duan

University of California, Los Angeles · Pennsylvania State University · +1 more institution

PubMed

Indexed incrossrefpubmed

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fabricating hydrogels with isotropically high tensile strength, stretchability, and toughness is crucial for applications in tissue engineering, stretchable bioelectronics and soft robots. However, many toughening strategies, including mechanical training, directional freezing, and solvent exchange, often induce anisotropy or fail to enhance all these metrics simultaneously. Herein, we report a strategy to fabricate ultra‐tough, isotropic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels by synergistically modulating polymer chain mobility and physical crosslinking through sequential acidification, freeze‐thawing, and salting‐out. Acidification protonates the hydroxyl groups, suppressing premature interchain…

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total citations

FWCI: 40.50
Percentile: 100%
References: 82

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Topics & keywords

Topics

Keywords

Self-healing hydrogels
Isotropy
Toughness
Anisotropy
Polymer
Ultimate tensile strength
Hydrogen bond
Protonation

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